I bought a basic black halter one piece maternity swimsuit from old navy and wore it once (to my baby shower by the pool) and then wore a one size bigger bikini the rest of the summer. Wish I hadn't spent the money on the maternity one really. I was so much more comfortable in the bikini.

I've got one! How do co-sleeping and alarm clocks work out? I'm taking a year off from work but my husband still has to get up for work... should I just assume we won't need it because we'll be awake with the baby anyway? We have a super loud annoying alarm clock and we're both the kind of people that hit snooze 3 times.

yeah, i was NOT an early morning person before the baby. hated getting out of bed, etc. but suddenly, time is at a premium and somehow you find yourself rolling out of bed at 6:30 am every morning and actually enjoying it. we do have alarm clocks on our cells, but realistically, we very rarely use them. i think maybe the only exception is if we've had a super rough night and the baby suddenly decides to make up for lost sleep in the early am. but i think that's happened maybe 2 or 3 times this year, and honestly, you need to catch up on sleep at that point, so you deal with being a bit late for work.

from what i've heard, people who have really strict work schedule (shifts etc) rather than a more laid back one like my husband (i.e show up to the office sometime before 9:30 am), often aren't able to co-sleep with the baby and non-working parent. generally the working parent finds that they need to sleep in a separate room or bed... the nature of cosleeping is that you sleep on the baby's schedule, and most babies aren't sleeping in solid undisturbed chunks.

The answer is probably somewhere in these threads but I cannot find it. I know sterilizing bottles (and pump) is what keeps germs at bay, but how important is it that I get a sterilizer? Can I soap and water? Do cold sterilizers work? Should I just boil a pot of water and throw them in? Once sterilized, can I store them in a cabinet or do I leave them in the sterilizer/pot of water, etc.

If you had one, what kind did you like or suggest? I have all different bottle types...

The answer is probably somewhere in these threads but I cannot find it. I know sterilizing bottles (and pump) is what keeps germs at bay, but how important is it that I get a sterilizer? Can I soap and water? Do cold sterilizers work? Should I just boil a pot of water and throw them in? Once sterilized, can I store them in a cabinet or do I leave them in the sterilizer/pot of water, etc.

If you had one, what kind did you like or suggest? I have all different bottle types...

I only sterilize bottles once when first opened. Then I store them on a clean towel either on the counter or in a cabinet. Someone gave me a microwave sterilizer for my baby shower, but I never used it. Easy enough just to boil them in a big pot.

I was confused about all this at first too. But my understanding is you only have to be super careful if you have a preemie or a baby with health issues. With a normal baby, the initial sterilizing is enough.

As for pump parts, again, I only sterilized mine when first opened. Now I just wash them with soap and hot water, and 1 x day in the dishwasher when I get home from work. I think that may depend on the type of pump though - I have an ameda and the instructions said it wasn't necessary to sterilize every time. I think it's different with the medela though.

_________________I'm not asking for utopian dreams...just a little peace in this world. That's a logical thing. - Deee-Lite

Same here, I just run bottles through the dishwasher and wash the pump parts with soap and water. Occasionally I boil them for two minutes. I just keep everything on a regular shelf. We only use bottles once every couple weeks, so I usually wash them again right before using, but that's because they get dusty in between.

Thanks! I did not really want to buy one and I was getting sucked into doing so. I'll cross it off my list!

We use iphones for our alarm since we do not own a real one. I am guessing the Mr will keep is low or on vibrate as usual and I do not wake up to it. I do not know his snooze patterns, but of he does snooze over and over I will eventually hear it and wake up, usually to snuggles as well! By that time it is late enough for me to feel good about getting out of bed. I do not work so Mr. B is my alarm and wakes me after his shower.

I am not getting a bathing suit at all, I do not swim in general and feeling so big does not encourage me to start. If there is a tub open for a water birth I will probably be naked or wear a tank top or something.

Okay, I have a dumb question as a new mom to a 10 week old. How do you manage to shower? Seriously? Is it only possible when your significant other is home to watch the baby? Every time I try to take a quick shower when the kid's asleep, it's a guarantee he will be awake and crying by the time I get out. Then I feel terrible.

I would sneak in and take a two-minute Olympic shower when baby was sleeping, but I'm sorry to admit I often didn't shower. I'd have to plan way ahead with my husband so he could give me a few minutes in the morning, or be proactive about getting one in the evening. The bouncy seat is a lifesaver for some ladies, but my kid would never go for it.

It's easy to say now, but it's not the worst thing ever if they cry for a couple of minutes while you talk to them from the shower...it definitely felt like the end of the world at the time but looking back I think I might have been less bananas if I'd taken a little time for self-care.

At that age, I think I didn't take a whole lot of showers. Sad but true.

We did get started pretty early on just bringing the boy in the shower with us. I think he was 3 or 4 months old by the time I started doing that regularly, but it made my life so much better. Showering is so important.

I just took a quick shower. If he was crying when I got out, so be it. I did love the Fisher Price Rock n Play for that though - there was a period of time where I just brought that into the bathroom and sang to him while I was in there, especially if for some reason I had to have a shower and couldn't wait till he was asleep. Now there's pretty much no way in heck to have a shower without him having a meltdown so I usually wait till MrSneakers is home. At any rate, now I have evening sweat inducing activities to do (riding, running) so I have to shower at night.

great I already only have time for like one shower a week now. I am in good baby training then! I won't miss them as much as normal folk when I don't have time after the babe is born. I always wondered how people took their babies into the shower with them though.

well, my number one advice to all new moms is to just let the baby cry so you can take a shower. i am totally anti-crying in every situation, but dear god, i spent so much of the first few months of my baby's life either being annoyed i couldn't have a shower, trying to figure out how to take a shower without her crying, or maneuvering her slippery body in the shower. i really wish i'd just taken a damn shower every day, WHEN i felt like it, by myself. it's probably the most important 15 minutes of the day to me now, and i always take my shower no matter what, even though pre-baby i was an every-other or even less frequent bather.

now, showers with baby (i think i started taking her in at about 3 months?) can be super fun for both of you, and do the job of getting you clean, but i really like having that little bit of time by myself in the shower to just relax and get ready for the day. as tzippy's gotten older, i've slowly increased the amount of time i'm "allowed" to take for self care too.

...We did get started pretty early on just bringing the boy in the shower with us. I think he was 3 or 4 months old by the time I started doing that regularly...

Thank you, because I was just going to ask if it's possible to do that? Did you have a waterproof sling or a big enough shower to sit him down in the corner, or just hold him?

I held him til he was old enough to sit up on his own. Once he could sit, I put his baby bathtub on the floor of the shower and would let him sit up in there.

He is almost always very cool with playing by himself in the shower while I bathe. But I have to admit that showering totally alone is a treat I always look forward to. I have been taking a ton of showers this month while the Emperor's in daycare.

Do you all have bath tubs or just showers? We are moving and I am wondering how much a tub should be on the must have list. I think it would be easier in the long run for the kid to take baths, but I know not everyone has one. Thoughts on just a shower?

When Reno was a baby I just put her in one of those bouncy seats right outside the bathroom door and would peak out at her every few minutes or so. When she became mobile the days between showers became farther and farther apart because I would have to wait until my husband was home and I don't really like to shower at night. Now that she is 3 and very independent I can leave her in the house alone while I take a shower and it's glorious. I have no idea how I'm going to shower once the new baby comes because Reno is going to want to "help" with him a bit too much. I fear my showers getting father and farther apart again.

If you'd like, I would be more than happy to come over and watch IFGFG and Reno while you shower. Really, you would be doing me a favor, because I have no idea what to do about baby stuff, and seeing yours would probably be a huge education for me. <3

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

Do you all have bath tubs or just showers? We are moving and I am wondering how much a tub should be on the must have list. I think it would be easier in the long run for the kid to take baths, but I know not everyone has one. Thoughts on just a shower?

We only have a shower in our current place. It hasn't ended up being a big deal for the Emperor but he has SO much fun when we travel to places with bath tubs. And I was a big bath person pre-Emperor so when we looked for a new new place, it did make it on to my must have list.